Development of Technology Design Skills with Mobile Robots for High School Students

This research focuses on studying environmental problems that affect the learning skills of robotics and automation in technology design. These skills are in high demand in the 21st century. Under the online learning measure, the learners had different knowledge bases and did not know each other. The learners are high school students in Thailand. They are divided into 4 groups. Project-based learning and Problem-based learning are applied to learning management with a case study of mobile robots in different environments. The students are required to design the robots in 3 fields: 1) Movement Mechanism and Structure, 2) Electrical Circuits for Perception and Movement, and 3) Robot Control Programming. In addition, students must design functionalities that serve exploration or industrial purposes, which characterize the designed robots that are practical. The learning system is designed in 9 steps starting from dissolving the learner’s behaviors until acquiring the robots that can be used. The results of this study can summarize the environmental factors affecting learning management in 3 aspects, 1) learning equipment, 2) development of the learner’s knowledge bases, and 3) methods of learning skills in robotics and automation. The results of this paper can be used as a guideline to enhance skills in robotics and automation that are in high demand today.